INDIANAPOLIS --
Two arson fires on Indianapolis' south side Wednesday morning brought the total of arson fires in that part of the city within the last week to nine.
Investigators said they aren't sure who is responsible for intentionally setting the fires, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.
Two vacant homes next to each other burned in Wednesday morning's blaze in the 1400 block of East Legrande Avenue.
A witness said he noticed something suspicious at about 2 a.m., just before the fires ignited.
"I happened to look down and see two white guys west on Legrande," said Edward Underhill. "(They) ran south onto Raymond (Street.) It wasn't two minutes later, the house was in flames."
Last week, there were several other arson fires in the area, near Interstate 65 and Raymond Street.
A vacant house and four garages were set on fire on Kelly, Calhoun and Tabor streets last Wednesday.
On Friday, someone burned a home in the 1500 block of Kelly Street.
Firefighters also responded to a blaze in the 2100 block of Singleton Street on Tuesday.
The houses involved are all vacant and all of the fires were spotted between 1:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.
Fire and police investigators have been going back to the scenes to search for evidence and sending samples to a lab.
"They are constantly looking at the fires to see if there's any type of commonality between the fires or are they all separate fires," said Indianapolis fire Capt. Gregg Harris. "We have not made that decision yet."
Posters offering a reward for the capture of arsonists are going up in the neighborhood and residents are vowing to answer the call for help.
"This is where we live. This is where our children live," said Janet Palma. "We want to bring up the area, not bring it down."
Police asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS or the Indianapolis Fire Department's Arson Hot Line at 317-327-6700. A reward of up to $5,000 is offered for information that leads to a conviction.
Previous Stories:
- May 30, 2007: Crews Investigate Two More Suspicious Indy Fires
